Meet the victim's best friend.
An adorable new “comfort dog” is helping victims and witnesses open up to prosecutors in Queens so they can get the answers they need to put criminals behind bars.
Kimi, a 2-year-old Labrador retriever mix, was requested by the Queens District Attorney's Office to help relieve stress in people, including children and women, who freeze after experiencing traumatic events, officials said Wednesday. He said this at a press conference.
“We tell the kids, 'You don't have to tell your story, but why don't you tell yours?'” said Jessica Rees, manager of Canine Companions for Independent, which trained the dog. say. “It’s about building trust…it reduces anxiety.”
In addition to offering plenty of cuddles and kisses, the four-legged therapist can also accompany victims to medical exams, interview rooms and court, officials said.
Reese said people often come home from a walk or toss a ball for their dog and feel like they're finally ready to talk.
“[The dogs] “We've all been involved in more difficult cases where we haven't been able to get the children to tell us exactly what's going on,” she said. “They brought in the dog and suddenly everything started moving.”
“Dogs can accompany the court before, during and after trial,” she says. “[It’s] There are people who are not judging them in court. ”
Queens Prosecutor Melinda Katz said Kimi began working in Queens in August and has already helped calm victims, including two children, in three cases.
“It can be very difficult to talk about traumatic events, but service dogs like Kimi can help vulnerable people navigate the prosecutor's office and courthouse more comfortably,” Katz said. Ta. “She is loving, highly trained and is already helping survivors and witnesses and reassuring them.”
The puppy, a member of the Golden Retriever family, was provided to the Queens Attorney's Office free of charge after six months of intensive training, Katz said.
She is the first dog to work in the New York City District Attorney's Office, but other dogs have been released around the country.
Queen's Chief District Attorney Jennifer Nyberg said she has already seen the dog provide a service similar to that of a painstaking counselor.
“There's research on the effect that pets have on anxiety levels. Our witnesses, the victims, the response is that their anxiety levels are reduced when she's around. I've seen that too. ” she said.
“The presence of a dog will help everyone in the room unless they have allergies.”
During training, you learned over 40 commands, including how to open doors, press buttons, and “bump your fist” with your nose.
Since then, the hard-working pup has been given a special law enforcement badge, which he wears around his neck along with a blue bandana.
